


Saltinette

by Freedom_Shamrock



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Chameleon Spoiler, Emotional Hurt, Gen, Happy Ending, Healing, High School Angst, Meditation, Recovery, Sad, Salt, Season/Series 03 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-09-01 15:45:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16768114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freedom_Shamrock/pseuds/Freedom_Shamrock
Summary: SEASON 3 SPOILER!!Based on the Chameleon trailer - Marinette is so done with her friends who go from supportive to attack mode in the blink of an eye.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Someone on Tumblr failed to properly tag their season 3 spoilers so I saw the trailer, and not only can I not unsee it, I'm ticked in Marinette's behalf. True, the trailer is brief, but what I've seen rubs me all sorts of wrong, and here's what I think Marinette should do based on the trainwreck.
> 
> Lila is back at Collège Françoise Dupont, and not only does everyone love her, they're slurping up her easily disprovable and obvious lies like cherry Kool Aid. The class rearranges the seating chart pushing Marinette to the back corner of the class (losing her that seat that had such symbolic meaning in Origins), and the entire class turns on her like rabid howler monkeys when she objects. Hurt and rejected by people who claimed to love her, she's targeted by a little purple butterfly. She manages to not get akumatized, but it's a bit of a come to Tikki moment, and it's time to make some changes.

Marinette watched as her parents served themselves soup and bread from the center of the table. They were happy, chatting about their day, complimenting each other on things that had gone particularly well in the bakery. Papa had designed something amazing that utterly thrilled a repeat customer, and Maman had developed a new recipe for lavender sables. It was a nice dose of normal after the day she'd had.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Maman asked, breaking away from the bakery conversation.

Marinette looked down at her bowl of soup, afraid she'd cry if she met their eyes. Oh dammit. She was going to cry anyway. A rogue tear slid down her cheek to drop into her soup.

"Marinette," her father's voice was so soft and gentle. "What is it?"

She felt Tikki wriggling in her pocket, trying to soothe her. She took a deep breath, pushing back the hurt that she didn't want to have to feel again. "I need to change schools." Ugh, her voice sounded scratchy and weak. "I won't go back to Dupont. Not after today."

There was a moment of heavy silence, then she felt her papa's hand on her back. "That's… not something I ever expected to hear. Can you tell us what happened to make you feel like this?"

"I thought this year was going so well for you," her maman said, wrapping her hands around Marinette's.

"It  **was** . Or… maybe I just thought it was." She had friends she cared about, friends she thought cared about her. She thought they believed in her, trusted her. But that ilusion was shattered today. When everyone welcomed Lila back as if she were the most wonderful person in the world, they'd turned on Marinette when she didn't want to be moved to the back of the classroom to sit by herself. The class president they picked because she was so kind and selfless, the girl they called an everyday Ladybug, had been scorned and chastised by all of them. Her best friend picked a boy over her; so much for sisters before misters. Even Adrien, the sweetest boy she'd ever met, had glared at her. Honestly, Chloe had been the least unkind of all of them.

"My whole class…" She faltered, choking on the words. "I was almost akumatized today." She could get that out. The rest, she'd tell them later, when it didn't hurt so much.

Maman gasped. "Oh sweetie."

"The butterfly chased me into the bathroom after…" She shook her head, unable to continue. She suddenly found herself sandwiched between her parents in a tight hug.

"Was Alya not there?" Papa hesitantly asked.

"Alya practically lead the we hate Marinette club." That one hurt so much, her best friend discarding her like that, treating her as if her concerns and feelings were completely irrelevant. Any trust that had been there was completely shattered, and if Marinette couldn't trust Alya, there was no way Ladybug would ever be able to trust Rena Rouge again. "I never want to see her again. Never."

"Were  **they** akumatized?" Maman asked, horrified.

Marinette shook her head. "Hoodwinked by a liar and braggart, but not akumatized."

Nobody had cared when she came back from the bathroom shaken and trembling. When Lila suggested she was making it up, they'd believed her over Marinette. They chose the girl whose claims to fame were so transparent and easy to disprove rather than the one who had shown them all intense kindness over the year.

Tikki insisted she was a good Ladybug, one of the best, and she didn't need to return her miraculous over this. But Marinette had already made arrangements to see Master Fu regularly to learn better control of her emotions.

"We won't ask you to go back to Dupont," Papa said quietly. "It may take a few days to figure out and get you enrolled elsewhere."

"Thank you, Papa," she whispered. Several more tears slid down her cheeks. "I'll help in the bakery and with deliveries. Um… there's a shop in the Chinese Quarter, Master Fu's, and he's going to teach me some meditation and stuff."

"Oh. Fu Wang is very good," Maman said, nodding. "You focus on feeling better about yourself and coming to terms with whatever happened. When you've handled those things for the day, we'd love your help in the bakery."

"Thanks, Maman." She hugged her parents. "Thank you for understanding. I love you so much."

* * *

Marinette sat cross-legged on the mat, her eyes closed as she focused on Master Fu's directions.

"Now that you are calm and content, take a moment to notice how this feels in your body and your mind." His voice was soothing.

She liked this feeling. It was warm and comfortable, safe from the machinations of Hawk Moth.

"Throughout this exercise, and throughout the day, I'm going to want you to return to this state," he said. "Think of this as your emotional stronghold, and you can return to it whenever you need to calm yourself."

His words made sense, but she suspected this would be easier said than done.

"Now, you are going to individually visualize each person who hurt you yesterday, no matter how small the offense."

Her nice steady breathing was thrown off by a sharp inhalation as all the hurt from the day before flooded back. Master Fu's warm hand settled over hers, calling her back to the present.

"One at a time, Marinette," he said gently. There was no bite to the correction. "You'll visualize each person individually and let yourself feel what you need to. Acknowledge the hurt. Name the feelings. Then let them go, imagine them being carried away by your miraculous cure. Return to your emotional stronghold until you feel ready to move to the next person." He withdrew his hand, but something warm settled into her cupped nested palms. "Tikki will be here to ground you. And we will keep you safe. Take all the time you need."

She started with someone who didn't hurt quite so much, Kim. The exercise made sense, and she felt comfortable that she understood and could follow the process. After Max, she decided it was time to think about her closest friends. Those were much harder, both to face the feelings and to let them go. Tikki's nuzzles called her back to the present moment several times, and it was a struggle, but she continued, determined to finish. By the time she'd gotten through her entire class, she was exhausted. Her face was wet and her nose was runny.

"You did very well," Master Fu said, handing her a box of tissues before he poured out tea. "You will overcome this, and you will be stronger for it."

"Thank you Master." Once again, she felt humbled by his knowledge and kindness.

"I am happy to help you, Marinette." He picked up his small cup. "Tikki is correct, you know. You are the right person to be Ladybug. You're human, and we all make mistakes. Your willingness to learn from yours, is a great strength."

* * *

"Thanks for coming, and have a great day!" Marinette said, handing a bag over to the customer she was helping. As they headed out the door, she caught sight of three of her former classmates coming in the door. She smiled at the customer at the counter. "Just one moment madame." She ducked into the kitchen. "Maman, you need to take the counter." 

They had discussed this eventuality before she started helping them in the bakery. As close as they were to Collège Françoise Dupont, it was inevitable that some kids would show up here. Many were regulars. Her parents also suggested that her former friends and classmates would eventually try to seek her out. They were sure her friends cared for her and would eventually try to make things right, though she was under no obligation to accommodate them. 

"No problem, cheri," her maman said, heading out to handle the lunch rush.

"You seem to be doing better overall," Papa said as she picked up the pastry bag her maman had abandoned.

She nodded. "It's getting better. But I'm not ready to see any of them." She shrugged. "If I had to face Alya right now, I'd probably punch her stupid face in." And superheroes shouldn't go beating up helpless civilians. She'd moved past the sad and was well into the anger part of dealing with all of this.

"Hmmm," Papa murmured. "Sounds fair. You're showing excellent judgement avoiding her for now, then." He rotated the cake he was frosting. "How's your time with Master Fu going?"

"It's helping." She switched bags. "A lot, actually. But it's not easy."

"Few things in life worth doing are, Cupcake." He looked over as she finished her mother's design. "Why don't you go work on some of your designs for a bit. Your mother will be taking you over to check out that school around three."

"Thanks Papa." She hopped up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. She actually felt like designing, something she could not have said when this first started. She'd spent a couple of days cleaning her room, removing all remnants of her old classmates. Their recycling bin had been stuffed full of posters of Adrien and pictures with the girls. She didn't delete the digital files, but there was no need to keep any of the prints. She left all the chat groups and purged her messages and e-mails. There had been a lot of tears and tissues, even with her emotional stronghold.

* * *

Ladybug landed on the roof of Collège Françoise Dupont. "Oh a student has been akumatized. It must be a day ending in Y," she drawled, looking around to gather information before she went in.

Chat Noir darted out of a first floor door, bounding up toward the roof. "Hello M'lady!" he said brightly.

"Hey Kitty. What have we got?"

"It's a math and science teacher. I think her powers are related to forcing students to focus on her lessons." He shrugged. "I was honestly hoping for something physics-based."

"Of course you were." She rolled her eyes. "Any clue what lead to her akumatization? You know, so we can figure out where the item is? I kind of want to wrap it up in record time."

"Yeah," he agreed. "I need to get back to class, too."

"I've spent more than enough time here," she said, frowning. "Hawk Moth needs to find other people to bother, or maybe these kids need counseling so they aren't so awful to other people."

Chat glanced at her in surprise. "Uhm… having a bad day, M'lady?"

"Today's actually going very well, but the end of last week was pretty shitty, and I'm still not over it." She flashed him a small smile. "I'll be okay. Promise."

He nodded. "I'm always here if you need me. Even if it's to toss me around while you get out your frustration."

"Thanks Kitty." He was sweet, even if he was a bit ridiculous. "I'll probably stick to meditation, but I'll let you know if I change my mind."

"I think the akuma is in a piece of chalk. It's small enough to fit in her hand, almost fully concealed." He closed his hand to demonstrate. "It shoots a very unchalk-like beam that turns people into obedient minions. Sit. Stay. Speak, the whole nine yards."

"And aside from getting our miraculous, what's her beef?"

"She was ranting about students lying about homework and their connection to experiments at CERN," he said, wincing. 

"Why does none of this surprise me?"

"Just another day in Paris?" he suggested.

"All right. Let's get this done."

Ms. Mendeleiev was surprisingly easy to subdue and handle. Ladybug never even got to hear her akuma name. She ignored Alya's calls for a picture or interview, leaving Chat Noir with the clean up. "Catch you later Kitty. This bug's got places to be."

* * *

Her new school was perhaps not as elite as Collège Françoise Dupont, but that had never been an important thing to Marinette. Her maman had outdone herself, and found an arts academy that ran from collège through lycèe. They had an opening, and were willing to interview Marinette in lieu of making a formal application. She brought her portfolio, including the photos of Adrien's shoot with her hat and her work for Jagged Stone.

She'd enthusiastically thrown herself into her schoolwork, endearing herself to her art and drafting teachers. The school was considerably farther away, so she tended to take her lunch nearby and returned to campus early. She'd been attending for a week, just long enough to get the hang of it, and to see that the kids were friendly enough. She sat on the front steps enjoying the warm weather and sketching before afternoon classes.

"Ma-ma-marinette?"

She looked up, startled to find herself face to face with Luka. Another boy and a girl with vibrant green hair stood a little behind him. "Oh. Hi Luka." She'd gotten used to the idea that she wasn't going to encounter anyone she knew from before. She was trying to decide how she felt about that when he sat down beside her.

"Jess, Alan, I'll catch up with you in a bit," Luka said.

"You don't want to introduce us?" the girl asked, grinning at him. "Think we'll embarrass you?"

Luka rolled his eyes. "This is Marinette, she's an incredible designer." He held out his hand to indicate her. "We were in a music video together once, too, and she's got fabulous dance moves." He pointed to his friends with his thumb. "These are Jess and Alan, and they're in my music theory class." He waved at them. "Now shoo. We have catching up to do."

"I didn't know you went to school here," Marinette said, wondering if he'd heard about the events that lead to her leaving her old school. "I mean, it makes sense. You're really talented."

He gently bumped her shoulder with his. "I didn't know you were switching schools."

"Oh. Didn't Juleka tell you?" This was definitely uncomfortable. "I… didn't feel terribly welcome in my old class anymore." She shrugged.

He frowned. "I'm really sorry to hear that. But if it means we get to go to school together, I think maybe some good has come of it."

"What have you been up to?" she asked, wanting to redirect the conversation away from the past. It didn't hurt as much anymore, and she wasn't nearly as angry as she'd been, but it was still pretty awkward to discuss.

"Well, I wrote a song for a contest that's being judged by Jagged Stone, so I'm both excited and terrified to hear back on that." He looked so happy, talking about his music.

"Well I'm choosing to be super excited for you. I think you have a good chance of catching his ear." She'd listened to the music of their mutual favorite artist and she'd heard Luka play several times. "If there's like an award ceremony or something where you have to perform, I will totally design your outfit, if you'll let me."

"That would be awesome."

By the time the warning bell rang, they were chatting comfortably. "Hey Marinette, do you want me to not tell Juleka that you're here? I mean… it sounds like you kind of want nothing to do with anyone, and I can understand that, but I don't want to assume."

"If you could, that'd be great," she admitted. "If I have to see any of my old classmates, I might kick in their teeth."

He laughed. "Well we definitely want to avoid that. And maybe, if you ever feel like telling me what happened, if you need to vent or anything, I'm here for you, okay?"

"That means a lot to me." She fished out her cell phone and handed it to him. "I kind of nuked my phone. Could I get your number again?"

"I'm honored that I get to return to your address book." He tapped at it for a moment and handed it back. "You should join us for lunch tomorrow," he suggested. "Unless you need time to yourself."

"I'd like that."

* * *

"A significant group of your old classmates stopped in today looking for you over lunch," Papa said at dinner. "They said they've been trying to call and text you. It sounds like they just thought you were sick until a few days ago."

"I blocked all their numbers," Marinette admitted. "Not interested in anything they have to say." She shrugged. "I've moved on."

"That's what I told them," he said. "But you should know that several of them looked like they felt awful about the whole business."

"Hopefully they can learn from their mistakes," Marinette said, reaching for the salad.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SEASON 3 SPOILERY  
> Now we get to see the upswing, as Marinette truly moves on and finds her own happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to get to this. I had a queasy daughter yesterday, and work is still a thing I have to do (must now go edit for my clients, in fact).

Marinette had finished her homework and was hastily color matching the sunset on her design notebook.

"What's this for?" Tikki asked, hovering over the bottom edge of the page, out of the way.

Marinette grinned. "I'm going to ask if I can dye some fabric, and Monsieur LeBlanc is more likely to approve it if I have a clear proposal."

"Ooooh." Tikki spun happily. "It would make a gorgeous evening gown. Or one of those tunic tops."

"I know, right?" She held up the page and compared it to the sky. She'd had to move fast to capture it, the colors changed so fast. Nodding, she turned back two pages to one of her other pieces in progress.

"Is this the one for Luka?" Tikki asked. Marinette had spent much of her drafting class working on it, but Tikki had needed to stay tucked away that whole time. "Oh, he's going to love it." She darted up to kiss Marinette's cheek.

"I hope so." Lunches with Luka, Alan and Jess were fun, and she'd settled into a nice dynamic with them. She initially tried to keep them at a careful distance, not accepting every invitation, not thinking about what she would design for them. But Master Fu wanted her to learn to trust others again. "If he doesn't win the contest, I'll give it to him to perform with his band."

"So a consolation prize?"

She didn't like the connotations of that phrase. "Maybe I should give it to him before the results come out, so it's a good luck gift instead."

"That's a really good idea, Marinette. Even if he doesn't win, the contest won't impact how he feels about it." Tikki froze and looked around. "Oop. Company." She zipped under the chair as the familiar sounds of Chat Noir vaulting through the streets caught Marinette's attention.

Chat had always been more inclined to take evening runs. She suspected it served as good stress relief. He hadn't said as much, but she thought his life was hectic. The sound grew closer, and next thing she knew, he was lightly touching down on her railing.

"Oh! Good evening Chat Noir." It was nice to see him out and about. He was one of the few people she was certain would never betray her.

"Good evening, Princess," he said, bowing to her. His grin wasn't quite as wide or toothy as normal.

"There's not an akuma out, is there?" That was a sensible thing to ask, right?

He shook his head and tucked away his baton. "I came to see how you're doing."

"How I'm doing?" She'd heard that he visited akuma victims, was that what this was? But he shouldn't know about that. Tikki had chomped down on the butterfly, spitting it out safely purified. And then her classmates hadn't believed her anyway.

"I've been contacted by a number of students from Collège Françoise Dupont, asking if I could check in on you." He peered into her face. "They didn't say what happened, just that they missed you and were worried because they couldn't reach you."

She snorted and closed her eyes to find her emotional stronghold.

"You don't believe me?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Look, Chat Noir," she said, opening her eyes and patting his arm. "I used to go to school there, and let's just say the environment was hostile and unhealthy." She shrugged. 

"Oh," he said quietly, sounding sad. "So you've really changed schools?"

"You've seen how many akumas come out of there, right? I wonder if Hawk Moth is on the board of directors or something." She shook her head. "My new school is a much more positive environment. I mean, there's mean people anywhere, but the level of nastiness is so much less."

"Would you mind telling me what happened?" he asked before quickly backtracking. "I mean, you don't have to, obviously. But I'm just… curious what made you leave. You had friends there, right? And you're keeping in touch with them, I'm sure." His teeth clacked together as he shut his mouth.

She turned to lean against the railing. She'd given her parents the full story just before starting at the art academy. It involved a lot of ugly crying and comforting hugs. She'd finally told Luka just yesterday after school. It was easier each time. "I  **thought** I had friends there. But I was wrong."

"What? No." He shook himself. "But I've seen you with the Ladyblogger, Alya. You always seemed so happy."

Of course he'd bring up Alya. "I guess you and I were both fooled. I think I was convenient, and when that was no longer the case, I was discarded like a used tissue."

Chat had no response for that, though his face looked positively horrified.

"Do you remember Volpina?" She waited for his nod before continuing. "She was a new classmate, fresh in from Italy. Pretty much everything that came out of her mouth was a lie. She claimed to know all these famous people, and she promised everyone a connection that would benefit them."

"How do you know she was lying?" he asked, his ears drooping they way they did when he was confused.

"Where do I even start with that?" She let out a huff. "If someone seems too good to be true, too well connected, too perfect, then they aren't for real. And maybe you haven't been around people with power, but legitimate networking isn't offered up freely to complete strangers on an initial introduction." She shrugged. "If you aren't careful about who you refer to your network, you lose credibility."

An awful look of realization appeared on his face.

"After she was akumatized the first time, she stayed out of school for months, but she videoconferenced from all these amazing places." She rolled her eyes. "Her mother works in the embassy, so travel would make sense, except her mother, who she claimed to be with, was in Paris the whole time. Public records are easy to find. Prince Ali, who she was allegedly visiting, told me he'd never met her before."

"Sounds like a piece of work," Chat muttered.

"Yeah. And it was annoying to see everyone falling for these lies that… I mean seriously, Stephen Spielberg is not going to jet to Paris to meet with you because some fourteen year old Italian girl tells him to, even if he knows her. Right?" It had been infuriating to see her friends taken in by the lies, too hopeful to see the truth. Hadn't they learned anything about phishing and scams during internet safety training? 

Chat nodded.

Marinette took a breath and settled herself again. "When Lila returned to class, she suddenly had a disability that wasn't brought up as an issue last time, and wasn't believable anyway." She held up one finger before he could interrupt. "But fine, we have to treat it like it's real. Whatever. And my entire class rearranged seating, making sure they all got to be where they wanted. Apparently no one wanted to sit with me. I was dumped in the back corner alone. My so-called best friend swapped me out for her boyfriend, forcing me out of the seat I'd worked so hard for." She snarled that last bit. It still hurt. Meditation didn't make that stop, but it had helped her deal with it.

Chat Noir looked unusually pale in the moonlight.

"I don't know why she couldn't have just moved to the back with him, or why they did all this without ever talking to me. And when I called it out as unfair, the entire class turned on me. Every one of them. The people I cared about, who I cheered on and supported. The kids I went out of my way to help when they were down. They all treated me like I was a monster for not wanting to give up my seat, which wasn't necessary because it wasn't even the one Lila needed." She turned and pressed her forehead to the cool metal of the railing. "They weren't even willing to discuss other options, and I was dismissed as jealous and petty. When a nasty purple butterfly terrorized me in the bathroom, it took one word from Lila and they all decided  **I** was the liar."

"That's… awful," Chat whispered.

She tilted her head to glance at him. "I understand that people make mistakes. I'm impulsive and screw up all the time. But there's a point where our actions cross a line that we can't really come back from." She shrugged. "Being told that I wasn't allowed to feel hurt, that I should always be the one to sacrifice for others, that I was the liar… that was the line." She rubbed at her eyes. They felt extra wet, but she hadn't started crying.

"I'm so sorry," he said, his voice rough. "You didn't deserve that." He sighed. "You were right to leave."

"Nice though it is that my old classmates asked you to check on me, I'm not interested in talking with any of them." She pushed herself away from the railing. "I've blocked all their phone numbers and added all their e-mails to my spam filter. I really can't see myself wanting to do anything with any of them in the future."

* * *

Marinette placed a teal-wrapped package on the cafe table in front of Luka.

"Ooh, what's this?" Jess asked. Alan was out sick, so it was just the three of them today.

"You know it's not my birthday, right?" Luka asked, his face lighting up with delight.

"It's a good luck gift," Marinette said, leaning back in her chair to gloat.

Luka carefully peeled off the tape, as if he were trying to preserve the paper. "Can't go wrong with a good luck gift from you, Marinette." He froze and looked up at her. "Wait, is this…"

She shook her head and giggled. "Going to have to open it to see."

He gasped as he opened the box, reaching in to hold up a shirt with sparkly stars spread across the black and blue streaked night sky. The back featured his name in gold flowing cursive. "Holy shit."

"Do you see the pockets?" Marinette asked, pointing along the waistline. They were subtle, the fabric carefully matched up.

"Tiny pockets?" Jess said. "Getting him back for always having man pockets in his clothes?"

"They're for picks!" Luka said eagerly, pulling one out of his pants to tuck it in to the shirt. "Oh my god, this is amazing!"

Marinette pointed at the box. "There's more."

The pants were lightweight black denim with gold seams and reinforced loops to hook his amp remote or microphone pack to.

"We are not worthy," Jess said, slamming her palms down on the table and making their dishes clatter. She bowed her head. "I know Luka told us you were fabulous, but I didn't really believe him. I can see that he's right." She reached out and felt the fabric. "Nice. This stuff breathes really well. I'm  **so** comissioning you when I can save up enough. Can you e-mail me your price list?"

"Oh…" Marinette felt her face go warm. It was nice to be appreciated; she'd kind of forgotten. "Sure thing."

"I love it, Marinette," Luka said, holding the outfit to his chest. "I'm totally wearing it to my next gig."

"Which will be the contest celebration party," Jess pointed out. "Now that we know you made it to the finals."

It was Marinette's turn to be surprised. "You did? Really? Oh, that's wonderful!" She hopped out of her chair and circled the table to give him an over the shoulder hug. "Congratulations."

"And he needs to pick a plus- one to go to the party with him," Jess pointed out when Marinette returned to her chair. "Oh, hey, I need to get to the library. Catch you guys back at the academy!"

Marinette watched the green haired girl shove the last of her sandwich into her mouth before gathering her things and rushing off. Jess was normally more organized than that.

"She thinks she's being subtle," Luka said, shaking his head and laughing a little. He carefully folded the clothes back into the box.

"Subtle?" Marinette asked. "About what?"

He blew his bangs out of his face. "She's right that I need to bring someone to the party, and… well I was wondering if you'd want to go. You're used to this kind of thing… you've been to fancy events, you know Jagged. I thought maybe you could use some fun after everything that's happened in the last month."

Marinette stared at him a moment. "Really?" she asked quietly. "You want me to come with you?"

"I bet you'll be able to tell me which fork to use at the dinner, and you could wear one of your designs," he suggested. "If you want to, that is."

Marinette nodded. "I'd love to, but I don't think you'll need my help on the forks. Jagged doesn't buy into that formal garbage."

* * *

"Have a great time, kids," Papa said as he let Marinette and Luka out of the bakery's delivery truck.

"Thanks Papa," Marinette stepped out onto the sidewalk. "I'll see you in the morning."

"What if I feel like waiting up to make sure you get home safe?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

"We both know Maman is waiting up for me," she replied. "She took a nap this afternoon and everything."

"I promise to get her home by ten thirty, Monsieur Dupain," Luka promised. "I have our ride all scheduled and everything."

Her papa smiled. "Good luck Luka. And I hope you both have a fantastic time."

Luka offered Marinette his elbow. "I love your dress."

At first she considered making her Paris sunset dress, but that wouldn't go as well with his outfit, and she wanted them to look like they belonged together for this event. The blue and black streaks in his shirt radiated out from the center and wouldn't make a flattering dress. Her above the knee slip dress was blue and black ombre with fewer sparkly stars than his shirt featured. She didn't want to outshine him on his big night, and she was pretty happy with how well they matched without being too identical.

"I  **love** that dress," Luka gushed as they approached the main entrance of the venue. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you're incredibly talented, Marinette."

"Thank you. I wasn't expecting to get to come to this when I made your outfit, and as your arm candy for the night, I wanted to reflect yours." She giggled. Alan had been calling her Candy for the last week and a half, clearly trying to ruffle Luka's feathers, but it wasn't working.

"You're not arm candy, you're my friend." When it first started, he'd asked her at least twice a day if Alan's teasing bothered her. 

His concern for her feelings made her feel warm and bubbly. "I can be both," she pointed out. "And I'm fully aware that I'm not just a decoration to you." She lightly tapped the center of his chest. "You  **know** I'm not lying, Monsieur Music." He had buckets of empathy, and she'd seen it work with other people around him at school. She was starting to consider him as a possible second string miraculous wielder, if she and Chat needed help again.

Inside the building there was a photography gauntlet, and she wasn't quite expecting that.

"Oh wow." Luka caught sight of the camera flashes. "I didn't think this really warranted news coverage. Are you okay with this?" 

His concerned expression always made her sad, so she smiled brightly up at him. "Why wouldn't I be?" Sure, she might have to channel her Ladybug skills, or maybe her professional designer persona to present as her best, but it was worth it.

Luka shrugged. "I didn't exactly tell my sister I was coming with you. Mom knows, but she's keeping it quiet. There's a chance that everyone's could see us, and I know you've been trying to keep that low profile a bit longer."

She considered the situation. "I didn't think about that. They might pester you a little… did I tell you that they sent Chat Noir to try to get in touch with me again?" She rolled her eyes. "Like he's not already busy enough?" There were only a few guests in front of them now. "What do you want to do? We could go separately if you don't want the hassle."

"It's not me I'm worried about." Luka shook his head. "If they're out here, they're going to be inside, too, and I didn't bring you here this evening so we could avoid each other all night like some stupid rom-com."

She giggled at the silliness of that. "Then let's just go together, and whatever happens, happens."

"Cool," he said. "We're almost up. Show off that fabulous smile, and let everyone see how amazing you are."

They made it past the media without any trouble. Neither of them were particularly well known, and with other more famous guests in attendance, they didn't even bother to ask their names. The ballroom featured a raised stage surrounded by round tables.

"Do you suppose we're supposed to sit anywhere specific?" Luka asked, looking around.

There were placecards at the tables, and she was just wondering how they'd find theirs, when she heard a woman call her name.

"Marinette, is that you?" Jagged's agent approached them, a smile on her face. 

"Hey Penny. Are you responsible for making this all go smoothly tonight?" Marinette knew that the woman had a tendency to take on awfully huge projects to meet Jagged's every whim and very exacting vision.

"Oh goodness, no." Penny laughed. "I hired an event planner for this one. It means I get to actually enjoy it."

"That must be a nice change," Marinette said.

"And who is this?" She held out one hand. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Penny Rolling, and I work for Jagged."

"She's his agent, personal assistant, and an all around wonder woman," Marinette added.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Ms Rolling." He shook her hand. "I'm Luka Couffaine."

Penny's face lit up. "You're one of the finalists."

Luka nodded.

Penny half turned away and pointed to a semicircle table placed at the center of the stage for best viewing. "You two will be at the VIP table with Jagged."

"Oh wow." Luka sounded a bit breathless at the news. "I didn't think I'd get to see him close up unless I won."

"You made it to the finals, Luka," Penny said. "That means Jagged really liked your song, so of course he wants to meet you."

"And don't worry, Jagged is totally down to earth." Marinette squeezed his arm gently. "I know he's going to think you're brilliant."

Penny bid them farewell, promising to talk to them later, during the dinner, and went to greet someone else. They had circled the ballroom twice, nibbling on hors d'oeuvres and making small talk with the other guests, and it was getting close to dinner time.

"Well if it isn't my favorite designer!" Jagged said, breaking away from a couple of clearly more famous people and holding out his arms. "Come give Uncle Jagged a hug, love."

Marinette gave Luka's arm another squeeze before letting go to hug her favorite rockstar. "Lovely party you're throwing, here."

"Always a flatterer. I didn't know you'd be here, or I'd've found you earlier. I've a project I want to discuss with you, but we can talk shop later." His eyes looked over Luka and he beamed. "And who's your long friend, then?"

Marinette put a light hand on Luka's back. "This is Luka…"

"Couffaine," Jagged finished for her, his smile going wider as he held out his hand. "Nice to put a face to the name and the music. And if my eyes don't deceive me, you're wearing a Marinette original."

Luka nodded. "She made it as a good luck present, actually."

"Do us a favor and turn about," Jagged asked. "I'd like to see the whole thing." As Luka stepped back to comply, the rockstar let out a crow of delight. "That's amazing, and suits you, lad." He shot Marinette a sly look. "It's a subtle nod to my last album cover, without being a tacky copy." His expression changed to wonder and he pointed at the reinforced clip points on the pants. "Those are bloody brilliant! You've gotta make me some of those."

Luka laughed. "And those aren't even the best part." He slid two fingers into one of the tiny pockets and pulled out a pick.

"Okay, change of plans," Jagged said eagerly. "We're going to need a full on meeting so we can discuss you designing my next cover  **and** my show clothes." He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text. "There. Penny'll set it up for us." He turned back to Luka. "How do you know our girl, here? I've gotta keep an eye on her, you know. She's important to me."

Of course that made her blush. The Jagged Stone considered himself an honorary uncle and felt it necessary to turn on some bizarre dad mode to question the boy she was with.

Luka nodded. "We go to school together."

"He's a good guy, Jagged. I promise," Marinette said quietly.

"He's been vetted by Sabine?" he asked.

Luka nodded. "And Tom."

Jagged grinned. "Sabine's the one you need to prove yourself to, lad." He leaned in to whisper conspiratorially. "If I hadn't seen her and Ladybug at the same time, I'd be inclined to think she  **was** Ladybug."

A guitar riff played over the speakers, catching everyone's attention. "Please take your seats," Penny's voice announced. "Dinner is about to be served."

"Come on then," Jagged said, wrapping one arm around each of their shoulders. "You're at my table."

* * *

Because Luka had won first place in the contest, Marinette ended up finding photos of herself with Luka, Jagged, and sometimes both of them all over social media, the news, and a few magazines. Luka had been over the moon to be able to play his song with his favorite musician. She'd never seen him so excited as he was when Jagged asked him to play backup on the new album.

Marinette's alarm went off, and she turned on her computer to watch the live-stream of Nadja's interview with Jagged and Luka. "Tikki, it's on!" She sat down, clutching a pillow to her chest. Signing on to design the cover art as well as Jagged's tour clothes meant she was ridiculously invested in the project.

"Wheee!" Tikki soared down from Marinette's bed. "I love hanging around those two. They have such strong creative forces all their own." She kissed Marinette's cheek before landing on her shoulder to lean against her neck.

Nadja leaned forward. "So what inspired you to hold this contest?"

"Oh, you know," Jagged started out. "I'm always looking for new blood, and I've learned that the kids of Paris are pretty talented. I've got this friend named Marinette who really opened my eyes to that."

Nadja looked pleasantly surprised. "Are you talking about Marinette Dupain-Cheng who designed your iconic sunglasses and your last album artwork?"

"The same." Jagged nodded.

"And did she introduce you to Luka before the contest as well?" Nadja asked, and Marinette rolled her eyes. Of course she was looking for a sensational angle.

"Naah. We met at the contest award dinner," Jagged corrected. "I'm sure you heard his song, and you have to agree it's as rockin' as anything I write." He leaned over to fist-bump with Luka. "Luka's going to be recording with me all next week. We've had a bit of time in the studio, and I tell you we really click."

Marinette and Tikki cheered for each great response and scowled in unison at the heavy-handed misdirections. They giggled when Luka admitted to feeling a little naked without his guitar, since it went nearly everywhere with him. Then at the end of the interview, Jagged surprised her.

"Hey Nadja, did you know I've never had a cat?" he asked.

The news anchor looked puzzled by this pronouncement. "No. Why do you ask?"

"Eh, there's just a rumor going round that I thought needed to be put down." He looked up at the camera and winked.

* * *

Ladybug looked out over the golden lights of Paris. She and Chat Noir were no closer to finding Hawk Moth, and they'd started meeting once a week to strategize and discuss research options.

"Sorry I'm late, M'lady," Chat said, dropping to the beam beside her.

"No worries Chat," she assured him. "I don't have much for today anyway."

"That big project still eating up your time?"

She nodded. "Nearly done though. I'm going to meet with Master Fu to do some brainstorming next week, and I'll let you know if we come up with anything." Her partner had such a busy personal schedule that he didn't tend to meet up with the guardian.

"I do have one option we could explore," he said. "Maybe we should do that thing you suggested a few months back."

She tried to think about what he could mean. "Which thing was that?" She held an open box of cookies toward him. Team meetings were better with snacks.

"Bringing in the rest of the team for training and recon," he explained. "We never work with them outside of emergencies."

Oh. That. Yeah, she had made that suggestion probably days before she left Collège Françoise Dupont. She let out a huff. "Yeah. That's… not happening."

"Master Fu objected?" Chat asked, handing her a insulated bottle of tea.

She shook her head. "I've had to retire Rena Rouge and Carapace for sure. I'm still on the fence about Queen Bee."

He stared at her in shock. "What… what happened? Are they okay?"

"I have no idea, honestly," she said, shrugging. "They were involved with something… pretty unheroic in their personal lives."

There was a long silence. "We all make mistakes from time to time. You've forgiven me when I did some pretty stupid stuff."

"Your mistakes have never made me doubt that I could trust you, Kitty." She smiled at him. "What they did made me seriously question that, and… I can't risk bringing that kind of doubt into a battle."

"Oh." Chat's voice was soft.

"I'm looking into new possible allies, and I'd like you to keep an eye out for anyone you think would be worthy." She smiled at him. "I value your opinions, Chat."

His smile was hesitant and almost pained looking.

They visited a little longer before heading home. As Marinette settled into bed, Tikki cuddled next to her cheek.

"Are you happy, Marinette?" Tikki asked.

She thought about how much had changed in the last few months, all she'd given up, but also everything she'd accomplished. Her grades were better than ever. She was just wrapping up her design project with Jagged. And she had new friends who didn't chalk any of her negative feelings up to jealousy or boys. Her training with Master Fu had brought her so far, and she and Chat were finally moving to a proactive response to Hawk Moth.

"Yeah," she replied. "I'm not where I thought I'd be three months ago, and that's okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to visit me over on [Tumblr! ](http://freedom-shamrock.tumblr.com/)


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